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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lifting devices for transporting packages (groceries, luggage, light supplies, and the like) between two or more floors of a building. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved lift apparatus that features a specially configured housing that lifts packages (eg. using a removable tray) from a ground floor to an upper floor, wherein the housing contains a drive motor that engages a belt (preferably static) that is contained within an elongated vertical support rail.
2. General Background of the Invention
Compact lifting devices are known that are constructed as part of a home, condominium, or like construction. These commercially available devices are typically referred to as xe2x80x9cdumb waitersxe2x80x9d, designed to carry objects between the ground level and upper level (or levels) of a home, condominium, apartment, small building, or the like. However, conventional dumb waiters consume valuable floor space inside a dwelling. Further, they typically can only be supplied to a home during construction. Retrofit can be very expensive and in some cases, virtually impossible.
Many patents have issued that are directed to lifting devices, some of which are adapted to be used on the outside of a structure such as an apartment, condominium, home or the like. An early example of such a patent is U.S. Pat. No. 1,312,089 entitled xe2x80x9cElevating Truckxe2x80x9d.
A personnel lift is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,885 issued to E. E. Rasmussen.
An elongated, vertically extended lifting arrangement is seen in the Meyer U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,774 entitled xe2x80x9cTower Elevatorxe2x80x9d. In the ""774 patent, power is supplied to a lower pulley assembly by a reversible motor housed within a removable power unit.
A load raising and lowering apparatus is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,285. The apparatus includes a load supporting platform which is suspended on a pair of chains and is movable between an extreme upper and an extreme lower position. The pair of chains are positioned about an upper pair of sprockets and a lower pair of sprockets. The two ends of each chain are connected to the platform. The upper end of each chain is directly connected to respective sides of the platform. The lower end of each chain is connected, via respective springs, to the respective sides of the platform at points below those points to which the respective upper ends of the chains are connected. The spring constants of the springs are at least approximately equal to the spring constants of the respective chains.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,062 issued to Geneste provides a mobile lift made up of a rectilinear guide adjustably held in upward inclined position by a support having a base of which the end is wheel-mounted so that the lift may be displaced. A load carrier is movably mounted on the said guide and a cable, of which one end is secured on the carrier and the other winds around a mechanical winch after having wound around a pulley, allows displacement of the carrier on the guide.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,423, there is provided a ladder hoist that includes a cart bolted to a short section of a ladder that carries a winch. A cable on the winch runs over a pulley on a short top section of the ladder and is connected to a carriage having wheels running in channel-like side members of the ladder. The carriage has an adjustable, folding platform and a back which pivots to a horizontal position when the carriage reaches the top of the ladder. A bottom pushbutton control and a top pushbutton control are provided.
A self-contained scaffold and lift unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,773. The ""773 patent lift unit includes first and second pairs of parallel, spaced apart vertical rails joined together by horizontal braces. A movable lifting carriage unit is disposed between the pairs of vertical rails and includes pairs of rollers engaging and captured between the pairs of vertical rails to provide smooth vertical motion with respect to the rails. A primary load-bearing platform is removably attached to a lower portion of the carriage unit and an auxiliary load-bearing platform is removably attached to an upper portion of the carriage unit. A manually driven hoist is attached to the carriage to allow controlled movement. The carriage unit is positioned with respect to the rails by the hoist. An auxiliary base assembly is removably mounted to the scaffold unit to secure the scaffold unit in an erect and freestanding manner. The rigid scaffold units are assembled in modular interfitting sections to allow a scaffold of any desired height to be formed.
A service elevator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,889 that is designed to carry persons up or down, along a building wall or other structure. The apparatus comprises a ladder secured to that structure and a carriage on which an endless conveyor band is supported. The band has projecting dogs engaging the rungs of the ladder which are held between a first stringer of circular cross-section and a second stringer of rectangular cross-section. The band-supporting frame has sleeves slidably engaging the first stringer and roller pairs bracketing the second stringer. A second conveyor band, serving as a standby for the working band, co-rotates therewith and has dogs slightly offset from those of the latter for dropping onto the rungs when the working band fails.
In the Crump U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,198, there is disclosed an outside rescue elevator system for high-rise buildings. As part of this apparatus, an elongated, vertically extended rail or track is provided with a portable elevator cab which is usually coupled to the track system only during an emergency situation.
The Bxc3x6cker U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,196 discloses a telescopic beam for use in an inclined hoist that has five telescopic members. An actuator comprising a motorized winch and a block and tackle arrangement is provided for extending the telescopic members relative to one another. The block and tackle arrangement includes a cable which passes several times around sets of rollers positioned at the adjacent ends of first and second of the telescopic members. A lock is provided for fixing the positions of the first and second telescopic members. To relieve the operator of the need for controlling several actuators, the single actuator is used to control the extension of all the telescopic members, and to control the angle of inclination of the last telescopic member relative to the penultimate telescopic member. For this purpose, the cable is passed from the second telescopic member to the far end of the penultimate telescopic member, and then to the adjacent end of the last telescopic member where it is secured.
Another Bxc3x6cker U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,854 discloses a load carrying platform particularly useful in moving furniture along an inclined elevator. The load carrying platform is supported by a carriage which is movable along guide rails of the elevator. Telescopic guides are provided between the carriage and the base of the platform, so that the platform is displaceable in relation to the carriage. Thus, when the unloading position is reached, the platform can be moved, at least partially, through a window opening and into the interior of a house.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,547 discloses a portable conveyor system with telescopic boom assembly and load carrying apparatus.
An automatic loader and unloader is disclosed in the Heisler U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,404. The apparatus includes a stationary frame, a main carriage movable in either direction relative to the stationary frame, and a coupler carriage movable in either direction relative to the main carriage. The main carriage is slidably disposed on the stationary frame by a bearing arrangement which provides a cantilever support for the main carriage when the main carriage is extended. The main carriage and the coupler carriage are extended and retracted by two pair of cables. One pair of cables effects movement of the main carriage and coupler carriage in one direction, and the other pair of cables effects movement of the main carriage and coupler carriage in the other direction.
The present invention provides an improved lift apparatus that has particular utility in the lifting of packages such as groceries, luggage, supplies and like objects between the different floors of a residential structure such as a home, condominium, apartment or the like.
The present invention thus embodies a lightweight duty lift for a condominium, apartment, home or similar two or three story building. The apparatus is to be installed on the exterior of the building, reaching from a ground floor to a landing, gallery, porch or window on an upper floor.
The construction of the apparatus includes a lift frame having a platform, preferably with side rails and cabinet panels which cover an internal cavity of the lift frame housing. The internal cavity contains a motor drive.
The lift frame housing raises and lowers on a vertically positioned rail or track. In the preferred embodiment, the track is in the form of an enclosed channel having an exposed slot. This slot enables the motor to access a static belt or chain that is housed within the rail or track. Only a portion of the belt or chain extends through the slot to engage a pulley or gear shaft mounted to the motor drive. In this fashion, the motor rotates in order to lift itself upward to elevate objects from the ground floor to the first floor. For downward movement, the motor drive simply reverses direction so that it pulls itself along the belt toward the lower end of the belt.
With the present invention, the belt is not an endless chain but rather a static, yet flexible member mounted within the track. The belt flexes along its length as the motor drive travels up and down the length of the belt. Slider blocks equipped with pulleys are attached to the lift platform but extend through the slot to the interior of the channel. In this fashion, the slider blocks form an interface between the belt, the rail and the motor drive.
Various walls of the lift platform housing are preferably configured in a tapered (eg inverted pyramid) shape to urge objects aside which might be contacted in the downward movement approaching the ground.